


Strategic Alliances

by kitlee625, Sarahastro



Series: Tales from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-18 02:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1411597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitlee625/pseuds/kitlee625, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarahastro/pseuds/Sarahastro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson and May's first meetings at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strategic Alliances

Coulson is relieved to see that the rooms in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy dormitories are all singles. It will be nice to have some privacy, though he wonders if the point is to maintain distance between the cadets. He is not just a soldier anymore. Keeping secrets is part of the job.

It does not take long for him to unpack the few personal belongings that he brought. From now on S.H.I.E.L.D. will provide everything he needs, from uniforms and underwear to toiletries. But he brought a few books, his Captain America comic book collection, and a photo of his parents on their wedding day. He tucks the last item into his desk drawer. He does not want the other cadets to accuse him of being soft.

Most of the cadets are about his age, although there is quite a bit of variance. Everyone was recruited to attend, some straight out of college, others from government jobs, law enforcement, or the military.

One cadet, who introduces himself as Felix Blake, refuses to say what he was doing before S.H.I.E.L.D. “That’s classified,” he says in a way meant to imply that he was CIA or some other covert government agency.

There are a lot of raised eyebrows when Coulson says that he was an Army Ranger. He knows that he does not look particularly physically impressive, but it still irritates him. One guy, John Garrett, snickers when he tells him. “You? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Garrett was a Navy SEAL, and he looks the part - tall, with broad shoulders and a cocky grin.

Everyone looks surprised when a small Asian woman steps onto their floor and walks towards the empty room next to Coulson.

“Are you lost, sweetheart?” Garrett asks.

She ignores him and goes into the room. The other cadets give each other confused looks. Finally Coulson goes to the open door and knocks on the door frame.

“I’m Phil Coulson,” he says. “My room is next to yours.”

“Melinda May.”

“Where are you from, Melinda May?” he asks.

“Ohio.”

“I meant what were you doing when you were recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

From the silence in the hallway, it is clear that everyone else is waiting for her answer too. “That’s none of your business,” she says and slams the door in his face.

Garrett laughs. “Smooth move, Coulson.”

The next time he talks to her is in the bathroom. When she steps inside, all conversation stops. Most of the men are just wearing underwear or a towel, but May does not seem uncomfortable at all. She just goes over to the sink next to Coulson’s and starts brushing her teeth.

“So what’s Ohio like?” Coulson asks. She gives him a look like she is trying to figure out why he is talking to her. “I’ve never been. I’m not even sure where it is, to be honest. I’ve never left the east coast.”

May spits the toothpaste into the sink and says, “Flat. Dull.” To his surprise, she asks, “You’re from the east coast?”

He nods. “Boston.”

“You don’t have an accent.”

“I lost it when I was in the army. The other guys kept laughing at me.”

She gives him a small smile and leaves. Once she is gone, Blake says, “You know you don’t stand a chance with her.”

“I’m just being friendly.”

Garrett rolls his eyes. “You saw the results of the entrance test, right? Her scores put her at the top of our class. She could probably beat the crap out of you with her pinkie.”

The third time he talks to her is at lunch. She is eating alone, as is her custom, but something makes him sit down.

“Hi,” he says. “Nice job today.” Tuesday mornings are devoted to hand-to-hand combat. Today had been a round-robin sparring match, which May had won easily.

“Thanks. I don’t think I saw you fight.”

He grimaces. “I got knocked out early by Garrett.”

She looks at him thoughtfully. “Oh yeah. You know, you need a different approach. He’s bigger than you are. You can’t do anything about that. But you can adjust your attack to compensate for it.”

“Maybe you can show me sometime.”

“Maybe.” Coulson is surprised when she adds, “I noticed you got the highest score at the firing range.”

It is flattering to realize that she has been keeping an eye on his performance as well. “The army gave us lessons.”

“Maybe you can help me with weapons training. I don’t have a lot of experience with guns.”

“Sure. We can go to the firing range tonight, and I can give you some pointers.”

They eat in silence for a minute, and then he says, “So you’re really not going to tell anyone what you were doing when they recruited you?”

“Why does that matter?”

“I’m just curious.”

“I like keeping some things to myself.”

“I can see that. Well that’s a good trait to have in a spy organization.”

“You talk a lot for a spy.” There is no hostility or annoyance in her voice, just mild surprise.

He shrugs. “I’m a friendly guy. And I can keep secrets when I need to.”

“What are your secrets?”

“That’s classified.”

She smiles.


End file.
